Tag Archives: murder mystery

Blog Before Run, Or Am I Too Lame?

Posted on March 18, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last week I hoped I was ushering in a new era of Not Late Lame Post Friday posts.  Alas, it was not to be.  Here it is Saturday morning, and I sit on my couch (lounge, really), listening to what I think is some kind of pigeon (maybe a mourning dove? It sounds pretty sad) and wishing I was already out running. One thing I love is running or walking in the morning and hearing the birds sing (or is it a morning dove with no emotion attributed?  I don’t know from birds).

One reason I am blogging before my run is that I am waiting for it to be light out.  I just can’t trust the sidewalks and roads this time of year.  I have wiped out on the ice too many times this year just walking (one hideous incident on my uneven concrete front steps).  I emphatically do not want to do it while running.  At my age I could break a hip.  Well, maybe not a hip, but something.  At least I would bruise my body and damage my fragile self-esteem.

My day stretches before me in a fairly threatening fashion.  That run to take, post cards to write, a house to clean, a murder mystery to write AND this afternoon auditions for murder mystery actors.  It is a general audition;  I want to develop a pool of actors to draw from as murder mysteries arise to be cast.

Now I feel threatened, because there is a something inside me (my depression?  the aforementioned fragile self-esteem?) strenuously insisting that I CANNOT POSSIBLY do a murder mystery at this time.  I MIGHT be able to write it (low self-esteem aside, I rarely admit to being unable to write something) (yes, yes, there are times when I say I CAN’T write a blog post, but I just mean I can’t write it right now).  But print it out, get a cast, schedule and go to rehearsals…

What am I saying?  Of course I can do all that!  The voices in my head are full of beans!

Talked myself right into that, didn’t I?  Guess I’ll go for my run now.

For local readers interested in theatre, auditions are today, March 18, at 1 p.m. at Ilion Little Theatre,  13 Remington Ave., Ilion, NY.  For more information,  you can visit the theatre’s Facebook page.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Memories of Murder

Posted on March 3, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Throwback Thursday Post?  I make it a question, because I am not sure I will be able to actually make the post.  I make it to work these days.  Beyond that,  no promises.

We’ve seen this suspicious bunch before.

I wanted to throw back to murder mysteries, because I was working on another one today.  The above picture is from A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, which we presented a few years ago to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  It was a very fun show.

Another shot from that show.

I realized the first picture did not include our friend Jim, who had a pivotal role in the show.  I guess all the roles were pivotal; I just like to use that word to describe acting roles.

A dramatic moment.

Here is a rehearsal shot from another murder mystery, whose title escapes me.  How embarrassing! Then again, I can’t remember everything.

Don’t we all look pretty?

I remember the title of this one: Fabulous and Fatal.  It will always be one of my favorite scripts.

It was a work in progress.

This is a shot from a read-through for Donate to Murder, which also benefited Herkimer County Historical Society.  Eventually.  This picture was taken in March 2020, right before the COVID shit hit the fan.  The show was postponed and had a different cast when it was finally performed.

Regular readers will notice my late husband, Steve, in a few of these pictures.  I so loved working with him. Treasured memories.  I hope it made for a good blog post.

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Monsters, Murder and Memories at Mid-Week

Posted on February 2, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

I can call this a Blogger’s Sick Day or a Blogger’s Stress Day (I think that might be a new one), but I am making yet another post about not making a decent blog post.  Some may find it frustrating that I am sharing no details about my sickness or stress.  Others will be happy to be spared the sordid details.  I always say explanations are tiresome.

Unrelated but amusing photo.

I throw in a picture to pep things up.  I had thought to make this a Mid-Week Monsters Post, so here we are.

The fact is that even when undergoing great personal trauma (accuse me of overdramatizing if you like), I cling to my image of myself as a writer.  I have not traditionally experienced great success in writing about what bothers me.  What often happens is that as I write, I think, “Wow, I am really justified in feeling upset!”  And I get even more upset.  Go figure.

We have always been a lovely couple.

I have experienced greater success in distracting myself from my problems, if not with monsters, then with memories.  The picture shows my husband Steven and I in Fabulous and Fatal, a murder mystery we presented to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society.

OK, that got me over 200 words.  I’ll call it a blog post and hope for a better one tomorrow.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Mid-Week Monsters, personal, Wuss Out Wednesday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Making with the Memories

Posted on January 27, 2023 by mohawkvalleygirl

If I make a Throwback Thursday Post a day late, that just means I am throwing back by one more day.  Another thing one may judge me on:  I am not going to worry about sharing pictures I have shared before.  For one reason (some may call it a rationalization, but I decline to enter into any such argument), some readers may not have seen the particular pictures I choose or they may enjoy seeing them again.

What a long introduction.  Perhaps I should go back to writing my blog posts in advance and doing a little more editing.  For right now, I’d better make with the pictures.

I’m not taking any of his nonsense.

Here is a throwback to 2012 and the Ilion Little Theatre production of Harvey.  I played Veda.  My husband, Steven, was Dr. Chumley.  How I loved being on stage with my husband!

Again, I was not putting up with his nonsense.

Here we are on stage together again, in Splitting Issues, again at Ilion Little Theatre.  I forget the year and am too lazy to look it up.

I dished out the nonsense in this show.

I was actually looking for a different murder mystery picture, but this is a great theatre memory,  A G.R.A.V.E. Murder, presented at Mohawk American Legion to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.  That reminds me, I’d better get writing on my upcoming productions.  Off to make more memories!

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Creep into a Monstrous Monday Post

Posted on November 15, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello and welcome to another Monstrous Monday Post.  It has not been a horrible Monday.  It rarely is.  My life is not that bad, which makes my persistent depression difficult to understand and not a little embarrassing.  However,  my purpose now is to entertain myself and (I hope) others with a few creepy-crawlies, or perhaps gruesome movie villains.

Is he as villainous as he looks?

Here is one of the masters, Vincent Price.  I believe this is a publicity shot from House on Haunted Hill, which features the immortal line, said to Price by his onscreen wife, “Darling, the only ghoul in this house is you.”

I don’t think he is bidding us velcome.

And here is one of our finest ghouls, Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula.  He is looking rather malevolent in this picture.

Crazy love? Insane love? No, it’s…

I was hoping to find a creepy-crawly but will make do with creepy:  Peter Lorre in Mad Love, one of my favorites.

Not from a movie, but they will do!

Here are a couple of crawlies!  They were props for a murder mystery.  I do love fake bugs and often use them in my home decor.

I guess my gruesome friends have cheered me up.  At least I have made my blog post, which always adds to my level of contentment.  I will try for a more Mohawk Valley-oriented post tomorrow,  but, as usual, no promises.  Creep and crawl on, my friends!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Monstrous Monday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

It’s Late and Lame, But I Like It

Posted on November 5, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Hello, and welcome to another late Lame Post Friday post.  I thought briefly about making this post last night, but I was too lazy.  I was watching Keith Morrison on DVR’d episodes of Dateline.  I loves me some true crime!

Just throwing in a picture to pep things up.

Tonight we present He Laughed Himself to Death, the interactive murder mystery dinner theatre benefiting the Herkimer County Historical Society.  I must recruit my energies.  And continue to study my lines.

Giving the information one more time.

Hmmm… I can’t think of a whole lot else to say.  I have had coffee and breakfast, played a few games of solitaire (with an actual deck of cards, as God intended), all while looking at the news  but trying not to pay too much attention,  because, quite frankly, it is depressing.  Yes, I have been up for a while.  Early to bed, early to rise, and the rest of the saying is a bunch of lies.  I just now made that up and am rather pleased with it.

I have a thing for putting my fists in the air.

When all else fails, throw in another picture.  This is from October 2020, when I walked up to Herkimer College to vote (perhaps you read my blog post about it).  Since Election Day is Tuesday, that makes this a kind of a PSA reminding folks to vote.

That got me over 200 words. Score!  Maybe one more picture for good measure.  Mystery or monster?  Let me see what I can find in my Media Library.

Scary! And fun!

From The Screaming Skull.  It has nothing to do with the rest of the post, but I like it.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Lame Post Friday, personal and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Rehearsal Was a Laugh

Posted on November 2, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last night I meant to take pictures of our rehearsal for He Laughed Himself to Death, the murder mystery we are putting on to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society this Saturday.  Alas, I was so busy acting, I forgot.

I think it is time for this blog to become All He Laughed Himself to Death All The Time.  After all, it is only three days (Yikes!) till performance.

Hey, it’s a graphic.

This pretty much tells you all you need to know.  The mystery is a pretty silly story.  I guess most of mine are.  This one concerns a novelty joke company called Gorman’s Gotchas.  We are at a stockholders meeting to discuss a proposed merger with a much larger entity called Consolidated Realignment Associated Products.  Norman Gorman, founder and president of the company is late.  We do hope nothing untoward has happened to him.

Rehearsals are going well.  I have a good cast, and we are all excited for the show.  If you live nearby, I hope you will consider coming to see us!

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, theater, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Will I Have the Last Laugh?

Posted on October 28, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

I meant to make a post using more pictures taken on a recent walk, but those pictures are on my phone and here I am on my Tablet.  Still, the phone is on the coffee table.  I could pick it up and look…

Or not.  My only purpose now is to make a Post-Rehearsal Post.  And I might even eat an ice cream cone out of the freezer before I do so.

It is not actually chocolate running down this head.

I put in an unrelated picture to show the passage of time while I ate ice cream.  I do not remember if I actually used this picture to give a shout-out to Yettys Pizza and Pasta of Herkimer, NY.  I must look at my past posts and make sure I have done so.

Did somebody say murder mystery?

I scrolled through my Media Library till I found a picture of a murder mystery, because the rehearsal I was at was for a murder mystery: He Laughed Himself to Death.  It will be presented on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Herkimer Elks Lodge, to benefit Herkimer County Historical Society.

I just now copied this from Facebook.

Now I have given a proper shout-out to the murder mystery.   I am going to bill this as a Non-Sequitur Thursday Post,  because I have been a little all over the place.  If only I could think of a sufficiently random headline, my life would be perfect.

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, Non Sequitur Thursday, personal, post rehearsal post, Thunky Thursday and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I Haven’t Murdered Anybody in a While

Posted on October 25, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Who knew I would be doing a Post-Rehearsal Post again so soon (and don’t bother saying YOU knew, because I will not believe you) (you know who you are, and that’s all you know) (but I digress).  It is not a full-on play, like Love’s Labour’s Lost, but an interactive murder mystery, such as I love to write and perform.

Full disclosure: it is a previously performed script.  We have less lead time than usual, so the best I could do was revive one previously done for another venue.  I had some re-writing to do, though, because we have two fewer actors to work with.  This accomplished, some excellent actors recruited, and we are on our way.

The mystery is He Laughed Himself to Death, which we originally presented in 2017.  Goodness, that was five years ago.  How the time flies.  Anyways, we had our first meeting tonight.  We read through the script, talked about characters and clues, and set the rest of our rehearsals.  Alas, I did not take any pictures.

I feel like poo when I don’t have any pictures!

I found a previous illustration of some fake poo used in the original production.  I still have it and, surprisingly enough, know where it is, so it will make a repeat appearance.  The bigger poo was also featured in Donate to Murder, to great comic effect (I do not exaggerate; it was very funny).

He Laughed Himself to Death will be presented to benefit the Herkimer County Historical Society on Saturday,  Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m. at Herkimer Elks Lodge.  For more information,  contact the society at 315-866-6413.

 

 

Leave a comment

Posted in humor, personal, post rehearsal post, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Speaking of Murder Mysteries…

Posted on September 23, 2022 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here I am early Friday morning, trying to make my Thursday post.  In my defense, I have no defense.  Never mind that.  I am ten-fingered typing on the dining-room-table-top, as I was yesterday.  And, also as yesterday, I will look in this computer’s downloads for some older pictures for a post.  A Throwback Thursday immediately following a Wayback Wednesday?  Why not?

“J’accuse!”

I don’t know if  I spelled that caption correctly.  It took me a minute to find something I had not already used.  As is often the case, I throw back to theatre.  Well, drama is my life, after all.  This is my husband, Steven, and our friends Kim and Cindy.  It was actually a staged picture (well, duh, a threatre picture would usually be staged, wouldn’t it?  And there it is on a stage, but you see what I mean, I hope).  I had written an article for Mohawk Valley Living magazine about my murder mysteries (which you have perhaps read about in this blog).  I had no pictures readily available from actual performances, so I got a few friends to make some dramatic poses.  I encouraged Kim to take the opportunity to wear one of her fabulous dresses.

“You shan’t touch her!”

I got into the act, too.  I cancelled the last murder mystery we were supposed to do, but now I am thinking we need to reschedule.  As I said, drama is my life!

 

2 Comments

Posted in humor, personal, Throwback Thursday and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →